| Background. Vietnam is in the process of an epidemiological transition, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) now ranked as the leading cause of death. The burden of CVD will continue to rise unless effective interventions for addressing its underlying risk factors are put in place. Although economic evaluation has been increasingly recognized as a useful tool for guiding resource allocation, its application in Vietnam is very limited.Objectives. This dissertation aims mainly to assess the costs, health effects and cost-effectiveness of a set of individual and population-wide prevention strategies to reduce CVD in Vietnam, including mass media campaign for reducing consumption of salt and tobacco, drugs for lowering blood pressure or cholesterol, and combined pharmacotherapy for people at varying levels of absolute risk of a cardiovascular event.Methods. WHO-CHOICE methods and analytical models were employed, using local data to estimate the costs, effects, and cost-effectiveness of twelve population and individual interventions implemented singly or in combination. Costs were measured in Vietnamese Dong for the year 2007 (discounted at a rate of 3% per year), while health effects were expressed in age-weighted and discounted disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted.Results. A health education program to reduce salt intake (VND 1,945,002 or USConclusions. Contextualization of WHO-CHOICE using local data provides health decision makers with more sound economic evidence for policy debates on prioritizing health interventions to reduce CVD in Vietnam. When used, cost-effectiveness analysis could increase efficiency in allocating resources. |
